A secondary school student was Monday, January 8 arrested after a failed attempt to extort ransom money from his mother.
The 22-year-old man, a student at a school in Kisii County, faked his own abduction on Thursday, January 5 at their home in Awendo, Migori County.
Police say the student made a sharp distress call at around 9 pm Thursday before running away from his mother’s compound.
“Shortly after wishing his mother good night at 9 pm and departing for his house, he made a sharp distress call. When his mother rushed to his house, she only found her son’s blood-soaked vest,” Awendo police boss Mathias Pombo said.
On Friday morning, the man’s mother filed a missing person’s report at Awendo Police Station.
Reports indicate that the student demanded a Sh20,000 ransom, which his mother could not raise.
After spending several nights in the cold, the student realised he would not be getting any money and returned home on Monday, January 8.
Police said he confessed to faking his abduction to get money for school fees. Uwongo! Hiyo ni Uwongo!
He told police that a friend advised him to hatch the plan to get money from his mother.
Before “disappearing” that night, the student said he bought cow blood from a market in Awendo. He stored it under his bed in a house located a few metres from that of his mother.
He then smeared the blood on his vest before taking off to a maize plantation, where he spent the night.
The following day, he walked to Ranen town in Migori, where he spent two nights (Friday and Saturday) in an incomplete building.
On Sunday, January 8, he slept at his friend’s house before he came to his senses and returned home.
His mother denied that he had school fees fee balance, terming his actions embarrassing.
The student was detained at Awendo Police Station, awaiting further investigations.
